C. Michael Smith, Ph.D. (aka Mikkal) is author of the pioneering classic JUNG AND SHAMANISM IN DIALOGUE/Retrieving Soul/Retrieving the Sacred, and of the Gradiva award winning PSYCHOTHERAPY AND THE SACRED. An active clinical psychologist trained in medical anthropology, and holding a certificate in Analytical Psychology from the C.G. Jung Institute of Chicago, he is a prominent international teacher and consultant in the field of shamanism and Jungian psychology. He is director of Crows Nest Centers for Shamanic Psychoshamanic Studies International, offering workshops and psychoshamanic training events in Belgium, France, South Africa, Peru, and the USA. For nearly a decade he is been a teaching member of the Cercle de Sagesse de L’Union des Ancestrales working with 140 shamans from 85 indigenous cultures. In 2018 he was invited to kick off the new school year at Saybrook University by Dr. Drake Spaeth, the Allan Watts professor of psychology, to present two keynote lectures in Clinical and Humanistic Psychology on his concept of Living the Archetype of You. In 2014 Mikkal was elected to the prestigous Le Collège de Chamanisme Ancestral in Paris. His own initiation was in Cherokee and Ecuadoran Attis-Quechua traditions, and he is currently working in the Peruvian Amazon. His work as a Life-Mentor is deeply rooted in more than 30 years of working these fields.
TESTIMONIALS for C. Michael Smith’s Mentoring Services
“If you’ve found your way to this information on C. Michael Smith’s mentoring service you are standing on the threshold of a life-changing opportunity. No mere self-help or coaching program, Mikkal offers the committed apprentice a transformed way of being: a more authentic, creative, power-filled life of joy and service in the world.
As a 6-year apprentice with Mikkal I experienced the full range of his mentoring, teaching, healing, and leadership gifts in one-on-one Fire Talks, intimate small group retreats, sacred ceremony, university classrooms, wilderness quests, and the Amazon jungle. He embodies the highest standards for quality, practice, and safety while demonstrating a master’s spot-on assessment and healing skills, all in actual nature-based settings like Crows Nest that foster intimacy with the living earth.
Much can be said about Mikkal’s visionary bridging of traditional shamanism and modern psychology, his encyclopedic knowledge of mythology and medical anthropology, his explorations in quantum healing, and his worldwide following. But most striking to me was his personal integration of mind and heart, of firm authority and kindly guidance. To sit with Mikkal around his sacred fire under the stars is to sit also with Rumi, Black Elk, Joseph Campbell, and Carl Jung: a living integration of tradition, soul, science, and capable outdoorsmanship.
Shamanism is no game. If you are ready to break the patterns of illness, stagnation, helplessness, or uncertainty in your life and bring your sacred medicine fully alive in the world, your search is over.”
–Jeff Nixa, J.D., M.Div., is founder of Great Plains Shamanic Programs and author of The Lost Art of Heart Navigation: A Modern Shaman’s Field Manual (Bear & Co.).
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“Mikkal is an extraordinary guide, with training both in the visible world (Ph.D. in Psychology), and in the “invisible” world (he is a powerful shaman speaking the language of the Earth). His manner is gentle and direct. He lives in the magical woods on his property at Crows’ Nest in Michigan, and is deeply connected to beautiful nature and the needs of the soul. I recently took an intensive workshop and also worked privately with him.
Working with Mikkal is a spectacular treat and a profound healing experience for those seeking to embrace their creative abilities, (their Archetype, or what they were meant to do in this life to align with their purpose) and for those willing to live a healthier life physically, spiritually and financially. Mikkal shares easy, yet potent practices that are alchemically developed over a life time of experience. These practices allow one to get clarity of the mind and of the heart, to re-write healthier mental beliefs, and to embody one’s gifts with more confidence and ease.
Mikkal quickly cuts through any confusion (things we mostly hide from ourselves), so even a short time spent one-on -one with him (such as a w-end), can accelerate one’s growth. His compassion, sense of humor, and love for humanity are powerful catalysts during the process he guides. After our work together, I felt lighter, happier, and also, delighted and incensed to embody some of the gifts that I have resisted for a long time.
If you are serious about living from the heart, then book a week-end with Mikkal and prepare to be enchanted, challenged and supported in ways that are both healing and generative.”
–Ligia Buzan, Ph.D. Strategy Consultant, Boston, MA
“I can’t even begin to say how much C. Michael Smith changed my life. When I first started consulting with him I was stuck, and unable to decide my future path. With the right amount of prodding and patience, he helped me discover my own way forward, for myself. …He stood by my side as I slowly built up the strength to free myself from my own constraints. He never told me what to do, but instead helped me figure out for myself what needed to be done. It has been four years now, and I have never been happier! All I can say is, Thank you!”
-Amy Klco M.Ed., Educator and Author.
“Dear Mikkal: …It has been a year since I had the opportunity to meet and consult with you for the first time. This marked the start of what I am truly meant to be. I am thankful for the circumstances and signs that led me to your door step at Crows Nest. Until then I had done all my soul searching and contemplations for 17 years and could not see my heart path. I had the intention, the compassion and whole-heartedness, but these potentials alone, without clarity was not enough to light up my path through the maze of life experience. Coming to you was the best decision I have made. I truly believe you were “the mentor” in my destiny, an Elder, an amazing human being, an honorable man, and a vibrant spirit. I am honored to call you my “Mentor,” my ‘Elder,” and beyond all, a friend. Thank you for being there for me and others whose lives are touched by your presence. Blessings and Gratitude.
– Aion Farvahar, Ph.D.
The new book in process on psychoshamanism builds on the foundations of my little classic book JUNG AND SHAMANISM IN DIALOGUE. Many of my students and clients around the world read the books for an orientation. Here are brief peer endorsements and reader reviews.
Some Brief Peer Endorsements & Reader Reviews
In Jung and Shamanism in Dialogue, C. Michael Smith has written a “must have” classic for all students of shamanism and Jungian psychology. Thorough, clear and authoritative, Smith writes from first-hand perspective, drawing on his own depth experiences in studying and teaching shamanism and Jungian psychology for decades. As in his previous book, Psychotherapy and the Sacred, he is psychological and spiritual, phenomenological and historical in his unique perspective. Jung was often described as a “shaman” by those who knew him well, but few have had the courage to openly make this claim, and none has presented the case as thoroughly as Smith has.
–Tess Castleman, Training Analyst, C.G. Jung Institute, Zurich, and author of THREADS, KNOTS, AND TAPESTRIES.
“In Jung and Shamanism in Dialogue, clinical psychologist and shamanic teacher C. Michael Smith has created a book of extraordinary importance for healthcare professionals and lay practitioners alike. He presents us with the study of a wide range of human experiences and technical practices as they interface with the healing dimensions of shamanism on the one hand and the analytical psychology developed by the legendary C. G. Jung on the other. His scholarly overview of classic shamanism leads us to reconsider Jung as the ‘wounded healer,’ as a shaman, and includes as well his and Jung’s interpretation of shamanism for our modern perspective. His section on implications and applications presents a compelling survey of dissociative disorders as well as a unique perspective for treating those disorders from both the shamanic and Jungian approaches for psychological healing and spiritual transformation. In a nutshell, this book is a treasure.
–Hank Wesselman PhD., anthropologist, shamanic teacher and author of “THE RE-ENCHANTMENT,” and “THE SPIRIT WALKER TRILOGY.”
“C. Michael Smith… is in fact foremost among those who bring together Jungian psychology and shamanic practice. I greatly enjoyed his book, Jung and Shamanism in Dialogue, which brings about a respectful and respectable encounter between Jung and the shamans.”
–Robert Moss, shamanic teacher and author of DREAMING THE SOUL BACK HOME, and of DREAMGATES and many other books on shamanic dreaming.
“An eloquent and perspective on the parallels of Jung psychology and shamanism. A psychoshamanic manual that journeys into the depths of a true vision quest within the heart and psyche.”
-Erica Baran Fasano
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Amazon Reader Reviews of Jung and Shamanism in Dialogue:
“Here the roots of shamanism are intelligently discussed in relation to the foundations of archetypal psychology and the development of the individual with respect to soul/Self and other. It gives one an appreciation of the role of shamanism in the development of human consciousness, and a view for how the best of shamanism may still serve human development and healing.”
–Geraldine Matus
“…this book has been one of the most enriching I have read. Shamans are said to be the firsts psychologists. And Jung, as this book shows, birthed his understandings of the psyche through means that could be readily called shamanic.
This is high-octane reading. It is written for psychotherapists with an interest in shamanic work. But it’s deeply thought provoking for any intelligent lay-person. Smith dives into the workings of the psyche, the act of integrating and evolving. …It is for people who want to better understand the psychological enigmas that monkey-wrenches so many people. It is an inspiring read for therapists and shamanic practitioners alike.”
–Sun Mi Kim
“A wonderful and insightful description of the role and use of shamanic practices in the psychotherapy process. Opens portals for wounded places that the soul longs to heal.”
-Bear Medicine
“Avery informative and interesting read. Used the information for a paper in my Ph.D. class. Well organized and insightful.”
-Caroline
“This book serves as a good introduction to Jungian psychology as it pertains to shamanism and direct…experience of the sacred. It also explores how shamanism may be useful in healing dissociative identity disorder…”
-Robert S. Robbins
“Fascinating read! I like how it connects the two fields of understanding and helps mesh them together. It was a great read, and I highly recommend it!”
-Kim E.
“Highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Jung and shamanism. Very well written and closely argued, yet enjoyable to read. This author clearly put an enormous effort into the book and demonstrates his wide range of knowledge with every turn of the page.”
-James Frazier
“Excellent information. I will certainly add much of the material to my practice.”
-Marilee